Whistler Blackcomb

Sixteen huge, snow-fattened bowls scallop across majestic twin peaks. Punctuated with glaciers, the expanse feels like the Alps—with consistently great service (No. 5), seamless connectivity (Lifts, No. 2, including the bold Peak 2 Peak gondola), and a lifetime of choose-your-adventure skiing (Terrain Variety, No. 1; Challenge, No. 7). Whistler Blackcomb is back at the top of the rankings (it was No. 1 in 2012–13), and readers are giddy. “Nothing else in North America compares.” “The mountain is an 11- plus... Just more in every way.” The slopes descend a whopping vertical mile through lush spruce forests (and frequent dreaded mid-mountain fog) to a dynamic ski-tropolis as abundant and diverse as the mountains above. —Susan Reifer Ryan

Are you backcountry curious, but don’t know how to take the first steps? Whistler Blackcomb–based Extremely Canadian, instructors of inbounds steep-skiing clinics, brings ski coaching into the backcountry and opens up 25,000 acres of guided terrain with its new Backcountry Adventures clinics.